Old Friends, New Rivals
by AdamALLSTAR
Summary: Ash with his companions, Brock, Dawn and Pikachu are travelling Sinnoh competing in Contests and Gym Battles. During one of Dawn's Contests they run into an old friend. Will this be a reunion Ash will never forget?  Ash X Gary PALLETSHIPPING Fanfic.
1. Dawn's Contest

**I do not own Pokemon or any of it's characters.  
****Pokemon is owned by Satoshi Tajiri.  
****Please support the official release.**

**This story will inevitably be an AshXGary pairing. If you don't like yaoi, please don't read.  
Enjoy :)**

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The crowd grew silent as the nervous girl made her way center stage. Entering the pale spot light dead center she opened her eyes and gazed out at the grand stand, scanning for the familiar black haired boy and his yellow companion. Spotting them straight ahead she discovered a new found confidence in herself. Throwing her pokeball into the air, she yelled,

"Piplup, Spotlight!" In a burst of blue and yellow, the water Pokémon seemed to dance its way out of its pokeball and around the bright, glistening stars created by the Seal. Landing gracefully and striking a pose it chirped its name, "Pip-pip-lup".

The crowd again grew into an uproar of excitement and anticipation as to how the young trainer would perform.

"Piplup, Whirlpool!" The little penguin Pokémon yelp with excitement as it reared up to launch a full charged Whirlpool. Piplup sent the swirl of water upwards and outwards, crashing and busting the stars that still lingered from the opening. Each star burst added more and more twinkling star dust to the air, which gently rained down onto the stage. The Whirlpool finally collided with the roof of the stadium. Water rained down, casting a rainbow threw the stardust. The crowd gasped in awe at the magnificence that was panning out before their eyes.

"Piplup, Good work!" Cried the girl in excitement, "Now let's show off your speed and power. Peck!" From out of her backpack the young coordinator pulled several Frisbees which she threw into the air, one after another. The little Piplup's beak began to outstretch, preparing for a full on Peck attack. It launched itself off the ground at an incredible speed, smashing the Frisbees as it ascended. At the end of the launch, Dawn shouted another command,

"BUBBLEBEAM!" As Piplup dropped back to the ground, it aimed a blast of bubbles at the ground, causing it to land smoothly in a pool of sparkling blue orbs. Piplup used its foot to pop one of the bubbles. In a chain reaction, from the center outwards, all the bubbles popped in an explosion of glittering blue, granting a marvelous ending to the young girl and her Piplup's performance. The crowd clapped and screamed, congratulating the girl. She looked up to see her friends cheering the loudest. "Thank god it's over." she thought to herself with a small giggle.

She made her way back to the waiting area where all the other coordinators where preparing for their turns. Lots of them had more advanced moves and higher level Pokémon than her; one boy even had an Arcanine, which looked well trained and powerful. How was Dawn ever going to make it through to the next round? She pushed all negative thoughts aside with a sigh as her friends came to greet her.

"Dawn that was an amazing performance!" Belted Ash as he gave her a big hug,

"Yeah, you really have grown a lot in the past few months; I think that was a grade A show." The brown hair man, Brock, smiled down at her and she half smiled back at him, blushing red over his compliment.

"I'm really hungry; do you think you're allowed to leave the waiting room?" Ash sounded hopeful as his stomach growled.

"I'm sure it wouldn't matter. Let's go, I'm pretty hungry too." The three friends walked out of the room of people and made their way to the food court.

After the three had eaten their fill, they decided to head back to the waiting area to see if the 1st round was complete. Turns out they arrived just in time as the trainers who made it threw were being announced. The faces on the computer screen flashed up one by one. Ash and Brock ignored the list of faces, only hoping for one. As Dawns picture came up they cheered and congratulated her. Dawn scanned the other faces; taking in all the details, one of these people could possibly knock her out of the contest. Not 5 photos from her own the boy with the Arcanine had made it through as well. She hopped she wouldn't be up against him. He looked strong.

The next rounds were the battles. The trainers got randomly paired up with another finalist and so round 2 began. Dawn was the second pair to be up on stage. The young boy she had to battle was snooty and cocky. He sent out his Zubat and Dawn called on her Ambipom. Ambipom bounded around the stage making it difficult for Zubat to land any hits. Every miss caused the boys points to decrease rapidly. Ambipom jumped high in the air and came crashing down on top of the Zubat with an intense Mega Punch. The attack Dawn had taught the hyperactive Pokémon came in very handy at times. Zubat lay still on the ground indicating it had been knocked out, which meant an immediate loss. The boy returned his Zubat and bowed to commend Dawn on her victory.

Ash, Brock and Pikachu greeted Dawn again for the second time, with huge grins and big hugs.

"Hey Dawn, I hope you don't mind but all this contest stuff is getting me pumped, I'm going to go train outside okay?" Ash said as he hopped from right foot to his left. Dawn just nodded the boys off and watched as Brock had to run to catch up to Ash. She smiled and went back to watching the other battles. The next battle was between the boy with the Arcanine and the pink hair girl, Jessalina. Her erratic behavior had not subsided since the last contest her and Dawn had been in. Too high on her horse she was. It was the boys Electivior against her Yanmega. Dawn watched the boy as he commanded his Pokémon. He was so precise with his words and what he wanted his Pokémon to do; his battling style was so unique, he kind of reminded Dawn of Drew, the green haired boy Dawn had met when she met Ash's old companion, May. The battle didn't last very long as it usually didn't when Jessalina was involved. She ranted and raved and fumed over her lose as she had done many a time. The crowd clapped and cheered in an uproar as the boy bowed to them, his Electivior sparking with happiness.

The contest raged on as trainer after trainer got knocked out of the competition. Dawn slowly climbing up the ladder. Come the finale, Dawn found herself up against the boy with the Arcanine. The one trainer she didn't want to face in the final round. She shook her head so she could think straight; there was no way she was going to lose.

"Hey Ash, Doesn't that guy look familiar?" Brock whispered to Ash,

"You're right. He does. But I can't really get a good look at him under that coat."

The boy was wearing a full body length coat, with the hood up over his face. Dawn tightened her grip on her Pokeball. She threw it high into the air,

"Buneary, SPOTLIGHT!" Dawn's Pokeball burst open into a gleam of white light, pink love hearts spewing out everywhere. Buneary did a flip or two and landed in the middle of the sea of hearts, causing a ripple of air that pushed them outwards, where they slowly faded into nothing. The boy lifted his hood, revealing his brown spiky hair. Ash and Brock gasped as they realized who the boy was. He hurled his Pokeball out into the area, where it landed with a dull thud. It seemed to quiver, then all of a sudden, burst into a cloud of black smoke. From the haze, a yellow light gleamed ominously. The Pokémon inside screeched its name and the smoke expelled at break neck speed. Sitting casually where the smoke had once been, was an Umbreon, confirming Ash and Brock's realization.

"Buneary, Pound!" The rabbit Pokémon started jogging towards the Umbreon, drawing back its fist, ready to land its attack. Umbreon did not move until the very last second, speeding off to the left. Buneary fell face first into the floor. Dawn looked up as her points diminished slightly.

"Umbreon, Iron Tail!" The boy shouted. The dark Pokémon's tail began to glint pale silver. Jolting towards its opponent, Umbreon jumped and did a forward flip; bringing its hardened tail down, crashing into the floor just in front of Buneary, it didn't make direct contact but the debris from the broken floor collided with the little Pokémon, sending it flying backwards.

"Buneary, Get up and use Ice Beam!" Buneary stood up and charged its Ice Beam. The blue sphere forming just in front of its open mouth grew and shot two beams of jagged blue towards Umbreon.

"Umbreon, this is it! Confusion!" The dark Pokémon's yellow rings started to glow again. Its eyes shining a blood red. The beam of ice stopped dead in its tracks. Umbreon's body seemed to shimmer, and the manipulated ice suddenly burst into a million pieces. The crowd gasped at the marvel of crystal rain. Umbreon roared its name as it sent the thousands of shards back at Buneary. Dawn's body quivered, her eyes wide in a straight stare. She couldn't move, couldn't command her Pokémon to get out of the way. This was it. This is how she was to be beaten? What a beautiful way to lose. As Dawn snapped to, her beloved Buneary fainted to the ground, her line of points dwindling. Her picture disappeared from the big screen leaving only the boy and his Umbreon's photos, next to which, in massive bold letters, "WINNER".

Ash pushed his way through the crowd that had gathered outside the contest hall to celebrate the ending of another festival in their town. He was searching for the familiar face he longed to see. He spotted who he was searching for and made his way up to the boy who's back was towards him,

"Gary?" He asked wearily. The brown haired boy turned around, a wide smirk on his face.

"Well, well, if it isn't Ashy-boy and Pikachu." Gary laughed, giving Pikachu a little scratch, who bleated happily. "How you been?"

"Really good, I didn't know you were in Sinnoh."

"Yeah, Gramps asked me to come to research the contests they hold here." Gary had been studying with his Grandpa, Professor Oak for a few years now, wanting to become a Pokémon professor so it wasn't too much a surprise to learn he was here for research. Ash's friend's Dawn and Brock walked up behind Ash giving him a little fright,

"Gary." Brock said holding out his hand,

"Brock." Gary replied following the gesture and shook his hand. Dawn jumped out from behind Brock and casually waved at Gary,

"I'm Dawn, congratulations on winning the contest! Your Umbreon is really strong, I had no chance of winning." Dawn said, a little disappointment hinted in her tone.

"Thanks Dawn. You did really well too. Your Buneary is really well trained." Gary complimented the girl. Dawn smiled back at him in reply.

"So how long are you in Sinnoh for?" Ash asked,

"Well I'm supposed to be heading back to Kanto tomorrow, but I think I'll prolong my trip now." Gary's heartwarming smile was directed straight at Ash, who was happy he would have time to catch up with his old rival.

"Hey, did you guys want to go watch the firework show?" Dawn suggested, breaking the moment Gary and Ash seemed to be having. The boys turned to her and simultaneously nodded. Dawn ran on ahead with Brocks arm locked in hers, Gary and Ash casually strolling behind them.

"You know, I've really missed you Ash." Ash looked over to Gary, blinking in disbelief, the brown haired boy still looking straight ahead as if what he had said was nothing important,

"I-I've missed you to Gary." Ash mumbled, looking down to hide the redness that suddenly spread over his face. Gary just laughed and took Ash's hand, pulling him along the path as the fireworks began to go off. They reached where their friends were and joined them silently. Gary never let go of Ash's hand until the last firework had faded.


	2. Room for Gary Oak

**I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters.  
Pokémon is owned by Satoshi Tajiri.  
Please support the official release.**

**This story is an AshXGary pairing. If you don't like yaoi, please don't read.  
Enjoy :)  
**

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"No gramps I'm fine. Yeah I got all the research you asked for. I'll send it over to you soon. Okay. See you in a few days. Bye Gramps." Gary hung up the video phone and turned to his old friends,

"Gramps told me to say hello and he hopes everything is well." Ash smiled at Gary,

"I miss Professor Oak." Ash paused, his facial expression a look of nostalgia "I miss everyone back in Kanto. I never really thought about it until now."

"You know you're right." Brock added. "I wonder how dads coping with the little ones." Obviously meaning his younger brothers and sisters. Dawn looked down at her feet,

"I never considered how you two felt being away from your family." Dawn said. "I've never been outside Sinnoh so I don't know what it's like." Dawns tone suggested she was feeling somewhat responsible and guilty for keeping Ash and Brock in Sinnoh.

The moment silence was eating away at everyone; Gary couldn't take all the dejection lingering in the air and decided to uplift the groups' temperament,

"Hey, why don't we all go out for something to eat then later head back to my hotel room?" Gary suggested, hoping to brighten up the moods of his three friends. They all looked up with beaming smiles, agreeing. Making their way out of the Pokémon centre, Dawn commented on being glad she wouldn't have to sleep in a freezing cold sleeping bag for a night. The group laughed and agreed wholeheartedly.

Strolling through the port in Chocovine Town, Ash marvelled at the vast, crystal blue ocean. Thinking back to his old home in Pallet Town; it all seemed so far away. In the distance many little stalls were setup along the harbour walkway, parents looking through merchandise as their children played with the family Pokémon.

"It says here," Ash's attention snapped back to his friend, "that many Phione migrate to the town every year and the stalls sell Phione merchandise to commemorate the event."

"Wow! That's so amazing. I wonder if we'll see any while we're here." Dawn squealed in excitement at the thought of catching a glimpse of the rare water Pokémon. Dawn ran ahead of the group, eagerly followed by Pikachu, who had startled Ash as he jumped off his shoulder. Dawn came out of one of the stalls hold up a pale blue plushie Phione while Pikachu waddled out behind her with his own. The three boys laughed as they caught up to Dawn. Ash bent down and took the plushie from his little yellow Pokémon so he could jump back on Ash's shoulder. Ash fondled the little toy, thinking how such a small Pokémon could be so rare. He handed Pikachu back the toy with a grin and a laugh as Pikachu happily hugged it.

"There's a really good restaurant up ahead if you guys are hungry." Gary suggested pointing at a large stone building. Ash's stomach grumbling, low and lengthy, was enough confirmation they needed and they set off towards the place.

The food was delicious and came in quantities that were enough to subside Ash's hunger for a week, if he had normal eating patterns like normal people, but Ash wasn't like normal people. All the time Ash stuffed his face with mounds of food and chugging it down with water, Gary couldn't take his eyes or mind off the boy. He was still the same old, weird Ash he had known from his childhood and he was happy about that. He liked Ash this way. Outside the sun began to set, casting a blood red tinge over everything. The team paid their share of the bill and walked out into the chilly air. Brock shivered and pulled his coat out of his backpack,

"Even though this town is close to Snowpoint City, I never thought it would get this cold here." Brock exclaimed as he squeezed his hands into his gloves. His friends had followed his motion and put on their winter coats. Pikachu droned miserably and his whole body shivered,

"Don't worry Pikachu." Ash said, unzipping his jacket, "You'll be warm in here." He propped Pikachu into the gap and zipped his jacket back up so Pikachu's head was just poking out. The little Pokémon squeaked his name joyfully as he cuddled closer to Ash's chest. Gary smiled at his old rival, admiring his consideration for the wellbeing of his Pokémon, which was another thing Gary liked about Ash. He was unlike anyone he had ever met.

It wasn't long before the sun had fully set and the first snow flake and fallen. The trainers made their way through the town heading towards Gary's hotel. The snow began to fall more frequently ushering them to move faster. Dawn gaped as a rush of cold air hit her hard, she whined and stumbled backwards, falling into Brocks arms, who levelled her up. It was shocking how fast the snow had come; already piling up in the streets. They made it to the hotel Gary was staying at, eagerly shaking off the snow that had clung to them and pushing through the doors out of the cold. The heat was on and the sudden change of temperature was overwhelming. The team took off their jackets before making their way to the front desk,

"Room for "Gary Oak" please." The lady behind the counter turned around a plucked a set of keys from the wall of hooks which held many other sets of keys. The lack of empty gaps on the wall showed they were the only people staying at the hotel.

"Enjoy your stay Mr Oak." The lady smiled and pointed them into the direction of the room. The hallway leading to the room was long and tedious. The old, dull wallpaper was peeling in places and moulding in others. The stretch of faded carpet felt bristly under Ash's feet. It wasn't the most flash of hotels but it was better than camping outside in the snow. Ash counted the doors as they passed. Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen. They finally made it to the room and Gary fiddled with the keys trying to unlock the door. It opened with a harsh creak. Gary switched on the light and the room was revealed. It was a pretty simple two room, two beds, and one fold out couch in the main room. The room's walls were a washed-out pink colour, and the floor was an old dirty red.

"So I called ahead and got the biggest room they had." Gary added as he threw his jacket onto the coat hanger.

"It's better than being out there." Dawn exclaimed as she pushed open the curtain and saw that the snow had begun to fall harder. The group sighed and placed their jackets on the hanger and dropped their bags near the front door. Dawn jumped onto the single bed next to the fold out couch,

"This one's mine!" She yelled with a smile as she stretched out on the bed,

"I'll take the fold out couch." Brock volunteered. Gary and Ash looked at each other,

"Guess you and I are sharing the double." Gary smiled as he led Ash into the other room.

The blizzard outside roared and bashed against the windows angrily. It was nice to hear the wind rage outside while you were nice and warm inside. The group of friends were all doing their own thing, Brock was reading a novel he had picked up at the marketplace, Dawn was playing with Pikachu and her beloved Piplup and Gary and Ash were watching a documentary on the Pokéathlon. Everyone was content doing their own think. Ash glanced over at his loyal Pokémon, squeaking his name happily as he jumped around with Piplup.

About an hour later Pikachu's ears started to twitch and his attention was drawn to the window. He jumped off the bed and peered outside,

"What's the matter Pikachu?" Ash asked, getting up from the couch,

"Pika-Pii!" The little Pokémon's tone was worried and he was pointing outside. Ash got up from the couch followed by Gary; they cupped their hands on the glass and looked through.

"There's nothing out there Pikachu!" Ash said patting his Pokémon as he went to sit back down,

"Ash I'm not so sure about that." Gary added looking out the window again. "There are people outside."

Pikachu jumped off the window sill and bolted for the door. Charging up a Volt-Tackle, he hit the door and crashed through it. Everyone's attentions were shifted to the door, they stared wide-eyed and jaws dropped. Ash was the first to jump up out of his seat and follow his Pokémon. His friends following close behind him.

The receptionist watched as the little yellow Pokémon waited at the front door. It turned to her and angrily growled at her, she hesitated for a moment but went and opened the door for the little Pokémon. Before she could let the door close, Ash and his friends rushed passed her. She blinked in confusion but let it slid as she walked back behind the desk and went back to work.

Outside the snow had ceased to fall and it was still very windy. The air was cold and crisp and every breath was a struggle as they ran after Pikachu. As the four friends caught up to Pikachu they realized here they had been led. The stood over the Chocovine Harbour; the boardwalk covered in a layer of snow. Pikachu growled angrily and produced sparks from his red cheeks.

"Pikachu, what on earth has gotten into you?"

"Ash, look over there!" Ash turned to where Dawn was pointing and saw what was happening.

A group of Team Galactic Grunts were standing in a huddle, talking while a net full of Phione wriggled and whined beside them. Ash instantly got pissed off.

"What the hell are they doing? How dare they!" Ash pulled a Pokéball from his belt,

"Staraptor, I choose you!" The ball burst open and the large bird Pokémon flew outwards before coming into land beside Ash, stretching out its wings and chirping its name. Gary followed his example and sent out his Umbreon.

All the noise caused by the two boys Pokéballs were noticed by the Team Galactic Grunts. Two of them grabbed a Pokéball each and begun to walk towards Ash and Gary who has already made their way down to the docks with their Pokémon. The grunts threw the balls into the air simultaneously, releasing their Pokémon. In the space between them a Skuntank and Crobat roared, ready for battle. The Phiones cried in fear.

"Dawn, Brock, take Pikachu and get those Phiones out of the net." Gary yelled back, the two of them nodded and ran around the imaginary battle field, keeping their distance so they wouldn't be targeted.

"You little runts have no idea what you're getting yourselves into."

"Don't underestimate us." Gary looked over at Ash, who gave him a small smile and a nod,

"Umbreon, Quick Attack!" The dark Pokémon dash forward, aiming its attack at the opposing Skuntank.

"Staraptor, Ariel Ace!" The huge bird Pokémon took off in a flash, flying towards the Crobat that was flapping manically on the spot. The Grunts had no time to react and the attacks hit head on, sending the rival Pokémon skidding backwards, flicking up snow as it rolled to a halt.

"Skuntank, get up!"

"Crobat, counter!"

While this was all happening, Dawn and Brock had managed to beat the other two Galactic Grunts, who ran off cowardly. They pulled and tugged at the ropes of the net while the Phiones wailed and struggled under the weight of each other.

"Umbreon, counter attack with Confusion!" Umbreon's eyes started to glow a bright red and a fine blue tinge surrounded the Pokémon. The tinge suddenly appeared around the Grunt's Crobat. Umbreon manipulated the bat Pokémon's body for a few seconds before sending it flying into its trainer.

"Staraptor, Wing Attack!" Staraptor's wings light up with a bright light as it rammed into the Skuntank, also sending it crashing into its trainer.

"Staraptor, Brave Bird." The giant bird ascended rapidly, doing a tumble roll in the air as it reached the crest of its flight, flipping to face downwards, soaring at an incredible speed. Staraptor's body sparked and burst into an array of white flame. Plunging towards the piled up enemy's Staraptor screeched its name loudly, colliding with them caused an extreme bang and sent the enemies flailing further away from them but also damaging Staraptor and sent it smashing into the snow just in front of Ash and Gary,

"Staraptor, I'm so sorry I made you do that." Ash sobbed as be embraced his beloved Pokémon, "You deserve a nice rest. Return." Ash looked up to address his other Pokémon, "PIKACHU! FINISH THEM! THUNDERBOLT!" Pikachu started to charge a full Thunderbolt, but before he could release it the Grunts had already returned their Pokémon and were running towards the water where they jumped right off the edge of the docks. The boys heard an engine roar and they ran over to inspect. By the time they got in view the Galactic Grunts had already sped off in a speed boat that had been concealed over the edge.

Gary and Ash walked over to Dawn and Brock and helped them pull open the net. The Phiones squeaked contently as they each floated out of the net that had concealed them. They floated around the friends in a spiral of song. The moon shone down which reflected off their bodies, casting the illusion that they sparkled in the light. The Pokémon begun to float away into the distance, still singing their song of appreciation. The four friends smiled at the sight they had just witnessed. It was not until the last Phione was out of site that the realization hit them. It was cold and they had run out into the snow with no winter clothes on,

"M-maybe we sh-should go back to h-hotel." Dawn spoke through her chattering teeth. They all agreed and made their way back.

Ash's eyes gently fluttered open, the early morning sunlight seeped through the small gaps in the curtain. He went to adjust his position but realized he was pinned down by Gary's arm. Sometime in the night Gary had unintentionally, rolled over and threw his arm over Ash and melded their bodies together in a spooning position. He felt the warmth of Gary's body, the firmness. He felt somewhat content and protected in his old rivals arms. This was a situation that Ash never thought he'd ever be in, but was glad he was. It was a kind of moment he always wanted to have with someone, he just never realized that person was to be the boy who had teased him all through his childhood. He closed his eyes and shifted his body closer to Gary's, his bum pushing harder against Gary's crotch. He let a small snicker as he felt Gary's morning wood.


	3. The Little Phione

**I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters.  
Pokémon is owned by Satoshi Tajiri.  
Please support the official release.**

**This story is an AshXGary pairing. If you don't like yaoi, please don't read.  
Enjoy :)**

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**

_I would like to apologise for the lateness of this chapter._  
_The laptop I keep my story files on had to be sent away for repairs and it took them SO long.  
Some people were confused as to Ash and Gray's relationship in the first two chapters, they are just friends...for now.  
__Also, I realise that Dawn does NOT have an Eevee that evolves into Glaceon but for the sake of this story, SHE DOES!_

_Enjoy :) _

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**

Gary awoke to find himself spooning Ash. He flinched and moved away from his friend, confusion swamping his thoughts. What the hell was up with that, why was he spooning one of his best friends and why was he enjoying it? Ash let out a small, sleepy groan at the friction of their bodies moving away from each other. Gary slowly and quietly slipped out of the bed and made his way for the door.

Outside the air was crisp but refreshing; Gary took a deep, long breath and sighed as he exhaled. The morning sun contrasted with the lingering snow, causing a pleasant temperature. Gary's breath puffed out in front of him in a little cloud of steam. Gary's Umbreon walked up beside him and lovingly brushed against his leg. He bent down and scratched his Pokémon behind the ear and Umbreon purred its name in delight.

About thirty minutes later Gary heard Dawn yawning from inside as she sleepily walked out into the lobby. He got up and went inside to greet her,

"Good morning, Dawn. I hope you slept alright."

"Morning, Gary. I slept fantastically thank you. Like I said last night it was nice not having to camp out for at least one night." She laughed.

"Would you like to go get some coffee? They have a machine in the cafeteria."

"Sure!" She smiled and followed the older boy into the cafeteria. There they sipped their coffees and had a chat. After about another thirty minutes Ash and Brock entered the room,

"Good morning, you two." Brock exclaimed, sitting in a chair next to Dawn. Ash looked over at Gary, who was shyly looking back at him,

"Morning, Gary." He said, slightly embarrassed,

"Good morning, Ash," Gary replied, the same embarrassment in his tone. They both knew why they were nervous; they just didn't know the other one knew as well. Ash hesitantly sat down in the seat next to Gary. They all began to chat eagerly about the day's events ahead.

"I think I might go for a walk in the snow." Dawn said as she placed her coffee cup onto the table for the last time.

"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Brock suggested before Dawn could walk out of the room,

"Nah, I'll be fine. I just want to do some thinking. Thanks anyway. I'll see you boys later." She waved to them as she left the cafeteria.

Dawn exited the hotel and made her way down the boulevard. The streets and stores were filled with people and their families. Dawn's mind began to wander as she slowly paced her steps so she could soak in more details of the town. The buildings were longstanding and old-fashioned; some of them even had those vines growing up the walls. It was a nice splash of colour in an otherwise dull scene. She stopped to watching a little girl play with her Eevee; thinking back to the time when she had received an Eevee from a breeder they had met a few months back. She smiled and swivelled her back around to her front and pulled a Pokéball from it. She let it open from her hand; the white light from the opening spewed out onto the ground. Out of the light Dawn's beloved Eevee burst out joyfully. It ran around her feet and few times before brushing itself against her. She smiled at her Pokémon and continued to walk, Eevee following eagerly behind her.

The scenery began to slowly transform from the homely urban town to a luscious forest, Dawn took in a deep breath through her nose, breathing in the smells of the woodland. She rolled up the sleeve of her jacket and checked the map on her Pokétch. The little bleeping icon representing her was, to her knowledge, just south of Snowpoint City and east of Chocovine Town.

Her attention was abruptly pulled away from her Pokétch by a shrill cry, Eevee jumped at the sudden sound. Her head snapped around in every direction, looking for what had made the noise. It came again in a more defined direction. Dawn automatically ran forward, following the helpless cries.

She suddenly found herself in an opened field. Her eyes instantly focused on what had made the cries. An injured and young looking Phione was being harassed by several Sneasel.

"What are you doing to that poor Phione! Leave it alone!" Dawn had realized her mistake of shouting out when the Sneasels attention reverted from the Phione and back onto her. They screeched their names and held up their claws, ready to attack. Dawn's Eevee jumped into front of her and courageously squeaked its name, defending its cherished trainer.

"Eevee, use Tackle." Eevee ran towards the opposing Pokémon, picking up speed on the way. Its head collided with the first Sneasel, but the second Sneasel was ready and swiped at it with its razor claws. Eevee spun around on the spot and jumped the Pokémon's attack, avoiding the collision. The first Sneasel recovered from the hit and jumped back onto its feet. The two ice Pokémon swiped at the defenceless Eevee, unmercifully. Eevee was getting fatigued and couldn't keep up its dodges. The second Sneasel smashed Eevee into mid-air as the first one jumped over it and side smacked Eevee, sending it skidding to the left across the ground and colliding with a frozen rock. Dawn gasped as her poor Eevee struggled to get up. She looked back to the Sneasels with teary eyes. They were advancing on her slowly, savouring their victory. Dawn pulled her legs in and covered her head with her arms, assuming the fetal position.

The beam of ice shot out like a rocket, connecting with the Sneasels, concealing them in a block of ice. Dawn opened her eyes. A Glaceon sprinted towards the frozen enemies and smashed it with a Tackle attack; the ice shattered and sent the Sneasels flying. They landed with a thud and retried in defeat. Dawn stared wide-eyed at the Pokémon before her. She looked over to where her Eevee had landed, nothing was there. She looked back at the Glaceon,

"Eevee?" She exclaimed, confused with the situation,

"Glaaaaaceon!" The beautiful ice Pokémon's body seemed to shimmer in the light from the sun. It trotted over to Dawn and brushed against her. She pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at the Pokémon.

"Glaceon; the "Fresh Snow" Pokémon. Evolve form of Eevee. By controlling its body heat, this Pokémon can freeze the atmosphere around it to create a diamond-dust flurry." The Pokédex announced in a computerized voice. She raised her head to look back at her new Pokémon and then looked back over to the rock that Eevee had struck. She pulled out her guide book of Sinnoh and flipped to a page she had read about.

_"Ice Rock"_

_It is said that near Snowpoint City there is a luminous rock encased in crystal ice. This is believed to be the only site where it is possible to evolve the Pokémon "Eevee" into its newly discovered ice form "Glaceon"._

As she read the words her mind began to click. She finally realized what had happened. Her Eevee had come in contact with Ice Rock and evolved into a Glaceon.

She heard the quiet cry of another Pokémon and she remembered the injured Phione. She got up and made her way over to the little Pokémon, quivering in a defensive position. She bent down next to little Pokémon,

"It's okay Phione; those mean Pokémon are gone now." It looked up at her and blinked its big eyes, "Come with me, I'll take care of you." She picked it up and cradled it in her arms. It blinked its eyes again, but closed them and nestled into her chest, falling asleep from exhaustion.

Meanwhile back at the hotel Ash, Brock and Gary were wondering what was taking Dawn so long,

"She said she was only going for a little walk and that was about an hour ago." Gary had pointed out, looking at his Pokétch.

"Maybe we should go look for her?" Ash suggested, But just as he did the day of their room swung open, Dawn standing in the doorway panting,

"We have to go to the Pokémon centre, now!" She didn't wait for them to reply; she just turned and ran off down the hallway. Ash and the two older boys looked at each other in confusion but quickly jumped up and followed her.

Dawn's eyes stung from the frosted winds but she didn't care, all she cared about was getting to the Pokémon centre as fast as possible. She didn't even look behind her to see if her friends were following her. It wasn't until outside the centre that she stopped to catch her breath, she flattened out her hair and inhaled deeply. Ash and Gary arrived just after her,

"Dawn...What's…The matter?" Gary spoke through pants.

Dawn spoke so fast it was hard to hear every word "When I was out I found a helpless Phione being attacked by some Sneasel. Eevee evolved in Glaceon and helped. I brought the Phione here and now it's being healed." She turned in a 180 twist and entered. Brock paced up behind the two boys. They informed him of the situation and they all entered after Dawn.

The minutes ticked by so slowly they felt like hours. Gary and Ash sat side by side, talking about battle strategies, Dawn paced the room, mumbling to herself while Brock "consulted" with a pack of young girls who were also waiting for their Pokémon to be healed. After what seemed an eternity Nurse Joy came out from the emergency room, her expression neutral. The companions all ceased their doings and stared bullets at Nurse Joy, waiting for her verdict. Her lip slowly curled up into a smile as he gave them a big thumbs up,

"Phione will be just fine." Her voice was so angelic, they couldn't help but all smile widely. Dawn let out a massive sigh and hugged the pink hair lady so hard she became slightly winded. She let Joy go and entered the room to see for herself how the tiny Pokémon was doing. Ash and Gary's eyes met and they beamed a smile at each other.

Ash and Gary left Dawn and Brock, who were content to let the two trainers leave, at the Pokémon centre. They strolled in silence down the street, taking in the sights and sounds of the little ocean-side town. The air was still chilly from the cold front that has swept through from Snowpoint City.

"Those little twerps are here too. This is really going to affect our plans." The blue haired man peered through his binoculars, following Ash and Gary as they rounded a bend. He pulled the binoculars away from his face and looked over at his female cohort, her long, pink hair wisping in the wind,

"We've dealt with them many times before." She replied, "No need to worry."

Dawn and Brock found their friends sitting together, an ice cream in hand, chatting away happily. Dawn approached and introduced them to the little Pokémon she held in her arms,

"Phione, this is Ash and Gary." She indicated to each of them, "They're friends too." She smiled when the little blue Pokémon let out a tiny squeak and floated towards Ash, snatching up his ice cream cone. The three laughed hysterically as Ash ran around, trying to retrieve his stolen cone.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, was a loud bang, like a gun firing. A net shot out from behind some bushes and concealed Ash and Phione inside. Ash struggled against the tug of the net as it was being drawn back to where it was fired from. Gary and Dawn grabbed the net and tried to yank it open. To no avail, Ash and Phione were lifted up into the air. A giant Meowth balloon loomed over the bushes and ascended higher and higher. Gary cried out to Ash as Dawn did the same to Phione. Phiones squeal was so high in pitch it made everyone, Including Team Rocket cover their ears, the sound rung through Ash's head like a freight train. Jessie growled in anger and slammed her hand down on a switch. The net buzzed as an electrical current ran through it. Ash and Phione screamed in pain as the shock rendered them unconscious.

"ASH! Umbreon, get Ash back! Swift attack." Gary yelled as he threw his Pokéball. It burst open in a flare of white and before Umbreon's body even took shape, it sent a barrage of stars shooting towards the balloon.

"No you don't!" Screamed Jessie as she lifted up her Wobbuffet, "Counter Attack!" She tossed her Pokémon over the side of the balloon. The stars bounced off its body and flew back towards Umbreon. Quickly dodging its own attack, its eyes began to glow and Wobbuffet got sent flying back at Jessie from a powerful Psychic attack. James threw his Pokéball, his Carnivine appearing behind him and latching its jaw around his head,

"Not me Carnivine, attack them!" The grass Pokémon launched itself off the balloon, "Bullet Seed!" It opened its mouth as a dozen bullet-like seed shot out and collided with Umbreon, skidding it across the dirt.

As the battle raged on the balloon got higher and higher, taking Team Rocket to their escape. When all seemed lost, a cascade of bubbles blasted through the ropes of the net, causing it to burst open, freeing Ash and Phione.

Ash was still unconscious as he fell to the ground. Gary ran as fast as he could and just caught as before he could hit the ground. Ash's weight was a little more than Gary braced for so he stumbled and bit and fell to the ground, Ash lying across his lap. Gary looked up just in time to see an army of Phione swarming around Team Rockets balloon, shoot Bubble Beam after Bubble Beam at them. The giant Meowth head so popped and sent the villains into the distance.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" They shouted as they disappeared in to horizon, a soft "ding" could be heard after.

Ash's eyes fluttered open in time to see the flock of Phione dance around them. Dawn received a little kiss from the one she had rescued before they danced off towards the ocean.

"Gary?" Ash whispered quietly as he adjusted himself so he was sitting upright in front of Gary, "You saved me!"

"Not like I haven't before!" He laughed, placing his hand on Ash's head and rubbing down on his hat.

There was an intense moment as Ash and Gary stared at each other. It seemed to last forever as Ash got lost in Gary's eyes. Gary softly caressed Ash's cheek; he shivered as Gary traced his jaw line. Ash edged forward as Gary did the same. Their lips were inches from touching,

"OI! GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY ASH!"


	4. Gary's Defeat

**I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters.  
Pokémon is owned by Satoshi Tajiri.  
Please support the official release.**

**This story is an AshXGary pairing. If you don't like yaoi, please don't read.  
Enjoy :)**

* * *

_There was an intense moment as Ash and Gary stared at each other. It seemed to last forever as Ash got lost in Gary's eyes. Gary softly caressed Ash's cheek; he shivered as Gary traced his jaw line. Ash edged forward as Gary did the same. Their lips were inches from touching,_

"_OI! GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY ASH!" _

Ash and Gary snapped out of their moment and looked up to see who had interrupted them. He didn't know about Ash but Gary was seriously ready to see some heads roll.

They scanned the immediate area for the young boy who had called out. They had known it was a boy, probably around Ash's age, from the tone of his voice. Not quite as low as Gary's but not high enough to be a girl. Gary rose to his feet,

"Show yourself you little punk!" He called out as he circled around.

From out of the bushes to their left a figure emerged from the shadows to reveal a young boy, correct was Gary in thinking he was about Ash's age, with brown hair and blue eyes. A Raichu waddled confidently behind him. Gary growled and when to run at the boy but was held back by something. Ash was holding onto Gary's shoulder, hushing him as he walked by. He looked at the other boy carefully,

"Ritchie? Is that you?" He felt silly as he squinted at the brunette boy,

"Yeah Ash, it's really me!" He exclaimed, giving his old pal a big hug. Gary stared daggers at Ritchie, who smirked back at him as he tightly held Ash in his embrace. Gary huffed and puffed as the hug took longer than it should have. The two younger boys broke apart and grinded at each other,

"You remember Sparky don't you Ash?" He asked as he patted his electric Pokémon,

"Of course I do! But last time I saw you, you were just a Pikachu!" He patted Ritchie's Raichu. Pikachu bounded over excitedly and started squeaking his name in conversation. Raichu replied happily as tiny sparks sprinkled from its body. Pikachu reacted in the same way and tiny bolts connected the two, being the way electric Pokémon conversed with each other.

Dawn and Brock seemed to appear out of nowhere. Brock took a second to recognise Ritchie but as soon as he did he greeted the boy ever so happily. Ash introduced Dawn and her Piplup. He turned to Gary,

"And this is my old friend Gary. We both come from Pallet Town."

"Gary, huh? So you're the one who use to tease Ash all the time when he was younger?" He glared at the older boy like he was the toughest person on earth, "So what business do you have fondling him in the bushes?"

"I'll have you know, you little brat, that Ash is my oldest and dearest friend." He smiled at Ash, "Anyway, What business do YOU have interrupting us?"

"For your information, Gary!" He spat out the boy's name in complete distant, "Ash is mine! And there isn't anything you can do about it!"

"Nothing I can do about it, huh?" He gipped the Pokéball in his hand so hard his knuckles were turning white, "How about we settle this with a battle!"

"Gary please, this is stupid!"

"No, Ash! I need to prove to this little prick just who deserves to be with you!" Ash blushed as Gary defended his right, and WANT, to be with Ash.

"Fine with me!" Ritchie shrugged his shoulders confidently.

"This will be a two on two battle! The winner is decided when one trainer's Pokémon can no longer continue!" Brock was always a great person MC for the group, "Begin!"

"Do me proud, Electivior!" Gary threw his Pokéball high into the air. It burst open revealing the giant electric Pokémon that resembled something of a Yeti.

"I chose you! Cruz!" Ritchie had always nicknamed his Pokémon so it was impossible to know what type of Pokémon was coming. Out of the spew of white light a massive dinosaur like Pokémon was revealed. Ash got out his Pokédex and pointed it at the beast.

"_Tyranitar, the "Armour Pokémon". This Pokémon is extremely strong; it can shift the landscape with its "Earthquake" attack. It has an insolent nature that makes it not care about others."_

"Cruz, use Crunch!" The monstrous Pokémon rampaged towards Electivior, the ground beneath everyone's feet shook from the impact of Tyranitar's feet.

"Electivior, dodge it and use Shockwave!" Gary's Pokémon jumped out of its adversary's path just in time. Charging up its power it shot a massive bot of electricity at Ritchie's Pokémon. It hit directly in Tyranitar's chest, bouncing off it as if it was nothing.

Ritchie bellowed with laughter, "Lighting attacks won't work against Cruz! He's a ground type Pokémon! I thought you of all people would know that Gary!"

Gary knew it well enough; he was just hoping that his Pokémon's attack would be strong enough to affect Tyranitar, obviously not.

"Cruz! Use Earthquake!" Cruz began to jump and stomp the ground, causing it to shatter in places. Chunks of earth began to crumble beneath Electivior's feet. The massive bits of earth crashed into the electric Pokémon, one after the other. It fell to the ground, defeated.

"Electivior is unable to battle! Ritchie is the winner of round one!" Brock confirmed, wishing it could have been the other way around, for Gary's sake. He had always liked Gary more than Ritchie. Even though Gary use to give Ash hell, he had really grown up in their time apart and he respected Ash more as a Trainer now, even fell for the boy.

"Damn it!" Gary growled and gritted his teeth as he returned his Pokémon to its Pokéball. "Blastoise, Use Hydro Cannon!" As soon as Blastoise's body had form, it shot two massive water jets at Tyranitar. The water collided with its body, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Crus fell to the ground, fainted.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle! Both trainers have one Pokémon left! Next round decides the winner!"

"I'm sorry Gary, but I'm winning this battle! Sparky, it's your turn! Use thunder and finish this fast!"

Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Gary's body froze up, he couldn't move, couldn't speak. He seen his defeat before it came. It all blew up in his face as Blastoise was bit by the gargantuan bolt of surging thunder. He watched as his beloved water Pokémon that he has entrusted since the start of their journey from Pallet Town fell to the ground in defeat. In synchronicity, Gary fell to his knees as Blastoise hit the ground.

"I-I lost."

Gary's hand rose up and returned his Blastoise to its Pokéball like the gesture was as familiar as breathing. He looked up to see Ritchie hugging his Raichu, jumping up and down, and whooping happily.

Ash was stunned at the outcome. He was so sure Gary was going to win, he WANTED Gary to win. He got up from the rock he sat on and made his way over to a brooding Gary. He held out his hand to comfort the older boy but it was instantly batted away.

"Ash, don't! I lost. I don't deserve you."

"Gary you're being stupi-" but before Ash could finish Gary had jumped up and ran into the bushes, disappearing from Ash's sight.

Gary ran through the think foliage, grunting furiously and he jumped over rocks and pushed away branches. He had no idea how far he ran into the forest but he stop when a branch whacked him hard in the face, drawing a small line of blood on his cheek. He wiped away the blood and winced at the sting of the cut. The pain just added to his anger and he clenched his fist and swang it at the nearest tree. His fist smashed into the hard bark of the tree, breaking the skin of his knuckles. He dropped to the ground and began to sob, clutching his injured hand close to him. How could he lose the one person he had really truly cared about? He couldn't take even a minor loss, let alone something this huge.

"Stupid Richie!" He spat as his tried to flex his hand. He would have to get it checked to see if it was broken. It sure felt broken.

He hobbled to his feet still clutching his wounded fist. It took him a good 30 minutes to find his way out of the forest. He thought to himself that when god closes a door, he always seems to open a window because where he exited the forest was the front entrance to the local medical centre. He entered the building and sat in the waiting area, his hand throbbing like crazy. He wished he never punched the damn tree. After about a 15 minute wait Gary was called into the doctor's office. The doctor took a look at Gary's hand and assessed it thoroughly; coming to the conclusion that it was just a fracture on his middle and ring finger knuckles.

Gary picked at his bandages as he walked away from the big white building. His attention was so focused on his injured fist, he was completely unaware of his surroundings, and as a result he crashed into someone, falling onto his rear.

"Hey, are you alright?" A soft, feminine voice asked as he got to his feet.

"I'm fine." Gary muttered, trying to brush past the girl.

"Hold it. That bandage on your hand has come off." Gary looked down at his hand to find that the girl was right.

"I'll reapply it for you; I have a first aid kit in my bag." Finally meeting the girls' gaze, Gary saw the sincerity in her cobalt blue eyes, and chose to consent. He took a seat on the ground and the girl sat in front of him. She tucked her long wavy, auburn hair behind her ear as she rummaged through her bag, pulling out the aid kit. Gary watched her intently as she reapplied the bandage around his hand.

"This looks like a pretty nasty fracture." She said as she placed the kit back in her bag, "May I ask how it happened?"

"I punched a tree."

"Wow, okay. Why would you do that?"

"I lost an important battle."

"Why was it so important to win?"

"If I won, it would have proved to the person I love that I deserve to be with them. But I lost."

"That's silly!" She giggled quietly,

"It's not silly!" Gary pouted,

"Just because you lost a battle doesn't mean anything. What if the person you love doesn't want to be with this other guy? What if they actually want to be with you? No matter what the outcome of the battle was."

"I never thought of that."

"What was your name?"

"Oh sorry, I'm Gary."

"Well Gary, I know we just met so I don't really have means to say this," she bonked him playfully on the head, "But you're being stupid. Just go tell them how you feel!" She got up and began to walk away,

"Hey wait! What's your name?" Gary called out as he staggered to his feet; the girl looked back at him.

**"Emilira. My names Emilira." As she turned around, her hair whipped out, like how a dress flares when a woman pirouettes, catching the sunrays and shimmering. Gary stared as the young girl skipped away gracefully. She maybe have been some random, but she gave some damn good advice. Gary would confront Ash and tell him how he truly felt.

Meanwhile, sitting back at the motel room; Ash and his friends, plus the extra, conversed over some lunch. Brock was preparing a nice hearty beef stew, which smelt divine. Ash wriggled in his seat, complaining that it was taking too long. A drool drop comically fell out of the corner of his mouth.

"Ash, whining isn't going to make lunch cooked faster." Dawn complained, irritated at Ash's childishness.

"Ash, it's going to be at least another twenty minutes. Why don't you go for a walk or something to take your mind of your stomach for a change?" Brock advised over his shoulder.

"You know that's not quite a bad idea." Ash got up out of his seat, "Wanna come to Ritchie?"

"Of course!" The other boy said, eagerly jumping out of his chair, accidently punching Sparky with his flailing arms of excitement.

The two boys walked contently side by side down the market street near the shore. Chocovine Town was such a quaint little place, but Ash had wondered a few times when they would move onto Snowpoint City. After all he WAS supposed to be working towards becoming a great Pokémon master. The cool ocean breeze smelt salty but sweet at the same time. The two boys inhaled deeply then let out an elongated breath.

"Ritchie I have to tell you something."

"You don't have to say anything Ash. I know what you are going to say to me." Ritchie turned towards Ash and looked him dead in the eye, "I've wanted this too." Ritchie suddenly threw himself at Ash. He edged his body to the right so Ritchie full on missed him and landed flat on his face,

"What are you doing?" Ash exclaimed, staring at the brunette lying at his feet.

"I know you've wanted me ever since we met, I've wanted you too!" He cried as he jumped up and stumbled into Ash, ramming him into a nearby tree.

"Ritchie, don't! This isn't what I want!" Ash cried as Ritchie pinned his arms up above his head. Kissing and nibbling his neck, he breathed hot air onto Ash's bare skin which sent shivers all through his body,

"See Ash. I'm making you excited. Can't you feel it?" Ritchie sighed as he continued to nibble Ash's neck. He had changed into a completely different person to the pleasant boy Ash had met in his Jhoto journeys. Ritchie parted Ash's legs with his own and roughly caressed his knee into Ash's crotch. Ash groaned at the friction, but it was for all the wrong reasons. There was only one person he wanted this from and it was NOT the boy in front of him.

"GARY!" Ash cried out, helplessly.

Strolling up the port confidently, Gary heard groaning from up ahead. He quickened his pace as the noises got more frantic. He broke into a sprint as heard someone yell, what sounded something like his name. He came around the bend to see Ritchie inches from Ash's lips. His eyes widened in shock but then as he gathered up his mindset his gaze turned more into a hateful glare. He bolted up to the couple and roughly shoved Ritchie away from Ash,

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" Gary's eyes burned with an intense loathing. He was positioned in front of Ash as a sort of protective shield.

"What are you doing here?" Ritchie yelled back at the older boy, "You lost the battle! You have no business with Ash anymore!"

"The hell I don't! I don't care about the battle anymore. I'm not giving up on Ash that easy!" Ash looked at Gary as if he was finally seeing his old rival for the first time. Did he really mean what he was saying?

Ritchie shook his head and looked back up at Gary,

"We can have a rematch if you want but it's not going to change the fact that I beat you the first time!"

"Well then lets compromise that; how about we have a rematch right here right now. Two against one!"

"Two against one?" Ritchie and Ash both asked at the same time, confusion slapped on their face like an obvious pimple,

"You're two against my one. _Then_ we'll see who truly deserves to be with Ash!"

* * *

_**Just so you know, "Emilira" is an OC character my friend created. I personally __**don't**__ use OC's but I included her into this chapter because my friend helped me __**a lot**__ with it. I'm not sure how much more of Emilira we'll see in __**this**__ story, but she will be the __**main**__ in another story I have planned._


	5. Gary's Victory

**I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters.  
Pokémon is owned by Satoshi Tajiri.  
Please support the official release.**

**This story is an AshXGary pairing. If you don't like yaoi, please don't read.  
Enjoy :)**

* * *

_**Hey readers.**_

_**I would just like to apologize for the very VERY late update.  
I just found it hard to get the motivation to finish this.**_

_**I would like to thank my friend Blood Dancer for helping me write the "fluff ending" and also a MASSIVE thanks to Glasmun whose kind message helped me to realize my writing was good enough and gave me the motivation to finish this story.**_** :)**

* * *

_"We can have a rematch if you want but it's not going to change the fact that I beat you the first time!"  
"Well then lets compromise that; how about we have a rematch right here right now. Two against one!"  
"Two against one?" Ritchie and Ash both asked at the same time, confusion slapped on their face like an obvious pimple,  
"You're two against my one.__Then__we'll see who truly deserves to be with Ash!"_

"Why would I want to do something like that!" Ritchie laughed, "I would beat you so easily it would hardly be worth my time!"

"What's the matter Ritchie, scared I'll beat you with only one Pokémon?" Gary glared at the younger boy, a smirk spreading across his face.

"How dare you insult me?" Ritchie yelled, clenching his fists into tight balls, his fingernails digging into the corresponding palm. "Fine! I accept your challenge!"

Gary's gazed turned hard and dark, and the voice that came out of his mouth was sharp and unforgiving, the voice of someone who was so determined, even the world could not stop me, "I will not lose."

Ritchie swallowed hard as sweat dripped down the side of his face.

Tension filled the air, choking onlookers as they breathed heavily. Gary and Ritchie had taken their position a few metres apart while Ash and Dawn sat to the side. Brock had taken his usual station of announcer.

A sharp gust of wind whipped up dust as the two boys had a stare down.

"Gary verses Ritchie in a one against two battle. The winner will be named when his Pokémon are unable to battle. The challenger must pick his Pokémon first" Brock announced in his stern voice while signalling Gary to choose his Pokémon.

"I choose you, Umbreon!" Gary yelled as he tossed his Pokéball into the air. It burst open with a piercing sound as white light gushed out onto the ground reforming as the dark Pokémon, Umbreon. "Now, your turn Ritchie! Let's see what you can do!"

Ritchie gulped again, intimidated by Gary's new found confidence. He quickly thought up a plan or what Pokémon he would choose to battle against Gary's Umbreon. He finally decided, after a quick monolog to himself, that he would go for a dual strategy. One to attack from the ground as the other attacks from the air.

"I have decided!" Ritchie announced as he took out his two Pokéballs and threw them into the air, "I choose you, Sparking and Rose!" Out of the two Pokéballs emerged the bird Pokémon, Swellow and the electric Pokémon, Raichu.

Sparky's body sprinkled small bolts of electricity and it growled its name, signifying it was ready for an intense battle. Rose cawed as she fluttered down to a perched position next to Sparky. On the other end of the battle field, Umbreon was also growl in anticipation to the coming challenge. Gary looked down at his beloved Pokémon, thinking back to all the times it had helped him in the past. And now here they were, again fighting for the cause of love.

"We can do this, Umbreon! I know you will win for me!" Gary cried out, motivating his partner.

Ritchie clenched his firsts and bellowed to his own Pokémon to do their best and to not give up.

Brock's gaze switched from Ritchie to Gary and back again a few times before he raised his hand,

"BEGIN!" He yelled; bring his hand down as signal. The battle for love had begun.

Ash watched from afar as his two old friends became new rivals, fighting for his affection. He felt flattered but slightly embarrassed at the same time. Why such a big fuss over him?

"Umbreon! Dodge and use Iron Tail!"

The black and yellow Pokémon projected itself out of the way of Raichu's electrical attack at the last second as the searing bolt smashed the ground, sending dirt and debris into the air. Ritchie's Swellow dove for the dust cloud that had in turn been caused attempting to surprise swipe Umbreon but to no avail.

"Rose! Use gust!"

Swellow flapped her wings vigorously, blowing the dust into the distance. Umbreon was nowhere to be seen. Out of nowhere a shot a black energy shot through the air, barely skimming Swellows wing but just enough to knock it off balance and send it plummeting several feet. Before Gary had time to celebrate the hit, he had to quickly command Umbreon to dodge again from an oncoming Tackle from Raichu.

The two against one battle seemed to be more of a challenge than Gary had first anticipated. Every time he had a chance to strike one opponent, the other was pursuing to counterattack. A drop of sweat dripped down Gary's face as he nervously watched his Pokémon continuously dodge the on slaughter. Every now and then Umbreon would land in a hit, but nothing head on enough to cause real damage.

"Thunderbolt!"

Umbreon was directly struck by the lighting. Everyone gasped. Gary inaudibly called out his Pokémon's name, hoping beyond hope that this wasn't the end.

Umbreon growled its name as it rose to its feet. Its eyes began to glow a fire red, and the yellow rings on its body glimmered with an intensity that sent shivers down Ritchie's spine. This was not looking good.

"Quick Sparky! Use Thunder! Finish this now!" Ritchie yelled pointing at his opponent.

Raichu's body began to crackle and spark as it charged up the powerful attack. The atmosphere appeared to dim as clouds formed above the battle field. Thunder rolled in fast and with engorging force. Lighting spat from the clouds, raining down on the arena. Raichu arched up and shrieked deafeningly as the giant bolt of lightning made contact with its body. He shrieked again as he sent the pulsating bolt towards Umbreon.

"Umbreon, use Psychic!"

The little black Pokémon screeched as the glowing around its body intensified. Just as the bolt was about to make contact, it seemed to jitter in place and then was suddenly deflected, right at Ritchie's Swellow. The bird Pokémon squawked in pain as its body was consumed in the voltage. Ritchie's eyes swelled with tears as his Pokémon fell to the ground with a great thud.

"Swellow is unable to battle any further!" Brock signalled the defeat of the bird Pokémon and prompted Ritchie to return his Pokémon. He complied and pointed his Pokéball at the fainted creature, returning to its safe confines. Ritchie whispered to his Pokémon to have a nice rest. Looking up with rage in his eyes, he lost no confidence that his Raichu could win this for him.

"It seems Umbreon's Psychic abilities are very strong, I guess nonphysical attacks won't do much good. Sparky, use Iron Tail!"

"Umbreon, dodge and use Iron Tail as well!"

Raichu's tail started to glow a bright white as it dashed towards Umbreon. Raichu flipped forward, bring its tail down at break neck speed. Umbreon just managed to dodge, its own tail beginning to gleam. It swept around; attempting to land a side strike but Raichu was very fast, jumping up into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack. As it descended from the air it made an effort to perform another Iron Tail attack. Their tails collided with a loud metallic clang and both Pokémon were shot backwards.

At either end of the arena Umbreon and Raichu struggled to rise to their feet, neither one wanting to give up. Both Pokémon stared daggers at the other in hopes of intimidation. They exploded from their stance in a full force head on attack. Growling furiously they inched closer and closer, it all seemed to go in slow motion, Ritchie and Gary watching wide eyed. Ash and the other onlookers engrossed in the intensity.

Just as the two Pokémon were about to make impact, Umbreon unexpectedly disappeared. Raichu stopped dead in its tracks, as confused expression spread its face.

Everyone gasped loudly as Umbreon reappeared behind Raichu. Without time to command, Ritchie was helpless to watch as Umbreon sent out a Night Shade attack which made direct contact. Raichu wailed in pain as it was concealed by the darker than black energy.

Umbreon roared loudly as it pulsated its attack into a full forced blast, sending Raichu fainting to the ground, its eyes swirling in anime fashion.

The air around them whipped wildly, whistling as it passed. Brock announced the defeat of Ritchie and pronounced Gary the winner.

Gary stood there, stone-still. He blinked once and his beloved Pokémon was wizzing through the air towards him. He exclaimed "WOAH" as he was tackled to the ground, his Umbreon nuzzling its furry head into his face. He laughed wilding as he hugged his Pokémon. The biggest smile spread across his face.

Ritchie sighed and walked over to his Raichu, "You did the best you could Sparky. Have a nice long rest." He returned his Pokémon to its Pokéball and strolled over to congratulate Gary on his victory. They shook hands and Gary compliment Ritchie on a tough battle.

Saying his goodbye's to everyone, he came to Ash.

"You deserve someone who will fight so hard for you. I just wish I was strong enough to be yours." He hugged Ash but quickly broke away, covering his face as tears begun to swell in his eyes. He waved to everyone who watched as he walk off into the distant sunset.

Ash walked over and came to a halt in front of Gary, and quite unexpectedly hit him over the head. "You bloody _idiot!_

Gary was stunned, but looked into his friends' eyes, to find them absolutely furious, something that very, very rarely happened. He forced himself to avert his gaze, quite worried. "Ash, I-"

"-Don't. What on Earth made you believe in your mind, _I have to battle against Ritchie and win_? Just tell me that much."

Hearing the particular tone of voice Ash was using caused the brunette to look up in shock. "I had to defeat Ritchie, to prove that it was me you should be with. That was what Ritchie and I agreed on the first time we battled..."

Ash sighed angrily and raised his closed fist once more, hitting Gary over the head even harder than the first time, causing the older boy's vision to be focused on the ground from the force of the blow, and a small bump to rise on his skull.

"Ow! What was _that _one for?" Gary asked, rubbing the offending injury.

"I honestly thought that between the two of us, you were the smarter one, Gary, but right now you're actually being pretty stupid..." Ash answered, taking a hold of Gary's face with his hands lifting his head up slowly. He offered Gary a kind smile, as opposed to his usual grin.

Gary's eyes widened in shock at the emotions he saw in Ash's eyes. The shorter boy, he realised, was incredibly skilled at hiding certain emotions from people. Gary only quite recently began to notice such emotions, but the intensity spoke of feelings that didn't just pop up out of nowhere, but had been lying dormant and growing for a _long_time. He was drawn back to reality when Ash began to speak.

"You seriously didn't need to win a pointless fight to prove anything, Gary."

"It was _not _pointless, Ash! I-"

"-I honestly don't care if you had won or lost, idiot. You should have been able to see that the only one I_ ever _wanted to be with... was you."

Ash let the sentence fade as he leaned in and pressed his lips softly to the boy before him, and both became oblivious to the world around them.

_The End._


	6. Show of Love 'Epilogue'

**SURPRISE! **  
**THERE'S MORE! **

* * *

**It was suggested that I should have ended this story with a meaningful smut scene, soooo HERE IT IS!**

**Caution: CONTAINS SMUT! BL SMUT! GAY SECKS!**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

_Ash and Gary had finally acted upon their feelings for each other and they spent the last few days together before parting with a kiss._

_That was several months ago, Ash had continued his journey through Sinnoh while Gary went back to Pallet Town to follow his dream of becoming a Pokémon Professor. He had watched Ash's participation in the Lilly of the Valley Conference on T.V. Unfortunately Ash was beaten in the top 4 by a strong trainer named Tobias. Gary had been on the edge of his seat the whole time but he knew that with Tobias's legendary Pokémon there was no way Ash could have won. _

_It had upset Gary too no end to think that his beloved was probably feelings pretty crappy about his loss and there wasn't much Gary could do from where he was. He had tried to talk to Ash over the phone, but Brock and Dawn had told him that Ash wasn't leaving his room. _

_Since that call, Gary had waited day after day for any word from Ash or Brock or even Dawn, but nothing._

…

Gary awoke to the sound of his alarm clock squawking loudly in his ear. He rolled over and sleepily poked his arm out from under his doona and clicked the alarm off. He looked up at the time which read "5:00 a.m." He knew that every morning he had to wake up at the early hour but it never got any easier. He yawned, stretched and rubbed his eyes til he was feeling a little more awake. He slumped out of bed and trudged to his bathroom. He stripped down and entered the shower. He closed his eyes and braced himself as he turned the knob labelled "Cold" all the way.

Munching lazily on the grass outside, a group of Tauros were suddenly scared into frenzy by a very loud shriek coming from the laboratory.

Gary quickly turned off the water and jumped out of the shower, hastily wrapping his towel around himself. He shivered as he dried himself and put on a new set of clothes and a clean lab coat. That was always the part of the morning Gary hated the most, at least it was a fast way to get him awake fully.

He made himself a quick coffee and had a swift breakfast before going about his daily routine. First he would make sure all the Pokémon eggs where comfortable in their warming tanks; a few had hatched during the night so Gary had to transfer them to the nursery with the other baby Pokémon. He then went around filling up all the feeding troughs so the Pokémon had food for the day. Once that was done he went about his study of Pokémon stone evolution. He released his Umbreon from its Pokéball and it bleated happily.

It was nearing about lunch time; Umbreon was sleeping peacefully next to Gary who was sitting under a large shady tree, watching as a group of Gloom approached the pile of Leaf and Sun stones he had laid out. It was astounding to watch at some of the Gloom carefully bypassed the Sun Stones to get to the Leaf Stone causing them to evolve into Vileplume while some went straight for the Sun Stone which evolved them in Bellossom. The rest of the Gloom ignored the remaining stones and went on as normal with their newly evolved friends. He jotted down in his note pad. It seemed that with the option, a Pokémon would choose its evolution very carefully, some even opting NOT to evolve at all.

"Gary! Gary!" A familiar voice sounded from across the field. Gary's Grandfather's apprentice and new friend, Tracey come running into view. He had a big smile on his face and it seemed he was eager to share.

"Oh hi Tracey. What's up?" Gary asked as he shut his note book and hushed his Umbreon who was disturbed from its slumber,

"Gary…I…You…Phone…Ash" He huffed, out of breath from the run,

"Here Tracey, have a drink." He hand his panting friend his water bottle, "Better?"

Tracey signed, seeming very satisfied, "Yes, very much, thank you!"

"So what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Gary! It's wonderful! Professor Oak got a call and I just had to come tell you!"

Gary was a little confused, "I'm afraid I don't understand Tracey."

"I rushed over here to tell you because it's just so wonderful!" Gary jumped up and grabbed his friend by the shoulders,

"TRACEY! Would you _please _just tell me what's going on!"

"Ash is on his way back to Pallet Town!"

Gary's eyes widened,

"TODAY!"

"TODAY?" Gary shouted in surprise. He pushed Tracey off and snatched up his stuff. He quickly returned Umbreon to its Pokéball and began to sprint away. Tracey smiled as he watched the brunette run off into the distance.

He hurried down to Ash's place; he could from a distance see Mr. Mime sweeping the front porch, Mrs Ketchum was sunbaking on a deck chair. He burst through the gates and skidded to a halt. Mrs Ketchum lifted her sunglasses and smiled at Gary,

"Why hello there Gary. How are you today?" She beamed happily,

Gary blushed and bowed his head awkwardly, "I'm very well Mrs Ketchum. I hope you are well too. I actually came to see if Ash was home. I heard he was on his way back."

She giggled softly at the young boy, "He actually hasn't arrived yet, if you hurry you might be able to meet him at the dock." Gary bowed and in thanks and sped off down the dirt path, Mr. Mime and Mrs Ketchum giggled as all they could see moving along the path was a cloud of dust.

Gary sprinted as fast as he could through the forest separating Pallet Town and the ship's Dock, he had no idea where all this energy was coming from, it felt like his heart was going to burst through chest it pounding so hard. He could smell the sea so he knew he was getting close. Through the trees he heard what he thought to be the ships horn. He dug deep for that extra boost and erupted through some trees into open air. He landed skilfully and began to run again. Gary thought he could see a familiar yellow Pokémon as he finally stepped foot onto the docks.

Pikachu squeaked its name happily and looked back at Ash, now franticly bouncing around. Ash and Brock looked at each other,

"I wonder what's gotten into Pikachu." Brock asked,

"Hmm, I don't kno- HEY PIKACHU!" Before Ash could finish, Pikachu was already running down the docks. Brock noticed what had Pikachu so excited,

"Hey Ash, Someone is here to greet you." Brock smiled pointing towards Gary, Ash followed Brock's directions and finally realized. His face beamed with a massive smile, the smile that Ash made whenever he won a match, the smile he made when he was truly happy. He suddenly shot off from Brock's side. Brock shook his head and casually paced onward.

Gary opened his arms just in time to catch Pikachu, pulling the yellow Pokémon into a hug. He chuckled happily as Pikachu rubbed its red cheeks against Gary's. Ash finally reached the older boy and his Pokémon but stopped just a few feet from Gary. They looked at each other for a long minute,

"Ashy-boy!" Gary greeted in his usual matter. Ash's head dropped and his shoulders began to jitter up and down, Gary could hear the faintest of sobs coming from the younger boy,

"Ash, what's the matter?" Gary asked, a little bit concerned,

"I-I'm just," he paused "So happy to see you."

Gary chuckled, propping Pikachu on the ground and walking towards the shorter boy,

"Ash, look at me!" Ash lifted his head up to meet the older boys gazed. His eyes were soft and caring and as beautiful as they were the last time Ash saw them,

"I'm happy too Ash." He stated before he pulled Ash into a tight embrace. Ash's arms snaked their way around Gary's waist. They parted just enough so they could press their lips together in a passionate kiss.

…

After Ash had visited home and said hello to his mother and her faithful Mr. Mime, they made their way to the laboratory. Ash could barely contain his excitement,

"I can't wait to see all my old friends. How are they Gary? Have you been taking good care of them?" Ash asked, pointing at the older boy with an amusing sullen look on his face,

Gary laughed, "Of course I have been Ashy, it is my job after all." He flashed Ash a cheeky smile,

"Your…Job?" Ash blinked, confused,

"I'm the new Professor of Pallet Town. Well only temporarily though while Grandpa is away on business." Ash's face light out with more excitement,

"Wow, that's amazing Gary! You finally followed your dream."

Gary smiled at Ash and grasped Ash's hand in his, Ash blushed,

"G-Gary, people might be watching." He stated worriedly while wildly looking around for people,

Gary laughed again, and then gave Ash a very stern but loving look, "Let them watch."

They finally arrived at the laboratory and Ash greeted all his old Pokémon. They all went crazy at the sight of Ash and it took them almost an hour to calm the frenzy. The whole time Ash had the biggest smile on his face, one that Gary loved to look at.

The sun was beginning to set before they realized how late it was,

"Wow, I better head home." Ash stated, looking at the setting sun,

"Hey Ash, Um, why don't you stay here for the night? With me." Gary blushed and looked down,

Ash blinked with surprise, "Ar-are you sure? I won't be a bother or anything?"

"No! Of course not! I-I want…you to stay." Gary blushed again,

Ash giggled, "Okay Gary, I'll stay with you."

…

The movie was beginning to bore Ash as the two lovers sat in an embrace on the couch, but he didn't want to move from the position he was in, Gary's arms around him were warm and comforting. Ash shifted a bit to remove himself from Gary embrace,

"Uh, is something wrong Ash?" Gary asked,

Well," Ash blushed, "The movie is kind of boring me."

Gary looked surprised, "Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to watch something else."

"Well," He blushed even more than before, "No."

Gary was a little confused, "What's up Ash?"

"There's-There's something I want."

"Want? Anything! I'll give you anything!"

"Good." Gary was taken aback when Ash forced himself on Gary, placing his legs either side of Gary's body in a kneeling position and kissing him hard. Gary was a bit surprised at this very unusual forwardness that was happening,

"A-Ash, are you…suggesting…"

Ash answered by grinding his hips, causing friction between the two boys. Gary was already panting from excitement, a red flush over his face,

"A-Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Ash squeaked ever so cutely as he grinded again. Gary wrapped his arms around Ash and pulled him into another hard kiss. Their tongues fought for dominance, but of course, Gary overcame Ash and won supremacy. Ash moaned into the kiss as Gary moved on hand to Ash's head, pulling him in for a deeper kiss while at the same time thrusting his hips upwards, urging Ash with his already hard member. They broke away from the kiss, both panting with a hot red flush over their faces,

"Bedroom?" Gary asked as he pulled Ash in for yet another kiss,

"Yes." Ash panted through breaks in the kiss. Quite suddenly, Gary lifted up Ash as he stood from the couch, Ash instantly wrapped his legs around Gary's waist, which grinded them together harder than before. Gary's legs began to buckle at the pleasure of the friction on his hard cock.

"Ash, if you do that, I'm going to drop you." He panted,

"Sorry, I can't help it."

On the way to the bedroom, Ash wriggled his shirt off, while taking extra care not to disturb Gary's steps; they parted their kiss so Ash could pull it over his head and throw it to the ground. Gary lifted Ash up a little further so he could get a better hold on the younger boy. Ash noticed the Gary was now holding him with one arm and the other was promptly undoing Gary's own pants button. Gary stopped and propped Ash on a nearby table while he slipped out of his trousers. Ash took the chance to ripped Gary's shirt off over his head, now standing before him, Gary was almost fully naked, except for his boxer-briefs which were tenting from his erection. Ash stared in awe at the older boy's physique. His body was so toned and his skin looked soft and touchable. Ash was snapped out of his daze by Gary undoing his pants. Gary finally got the younger boys pants off and they were both standing there, erections tenting their underwear. They stared at each other for a very short second before Gary closed the space between them, kiss Ash hard again. He lifted the boy up and they continued their way to the bedroom. Ash could now feel Gary's hard cock jabbing his bum and he moaned at the sensation. They finally reached Gary's room. Gary turned and sat down on the bed, still with Ash straddling him. Ash pushed Gary back so he was lying flat on his back,

"A-Ash, you-AHH" He was cut off when Ash suddenly threw his hand into Gary's underwear and began to play with Gary's erection. Gary moaned out again and again at the new sensation. Of course he had masturbated before but the feeling of someone else's hand doing the work was a whole new feeling. Ash moved back a little and inched his head down towards Gary's member,

"Ash what are you-OH MY GOD!" Gary yelled as Ash began to suck on his cock. He panted and moaned and groaned at the feeling, it was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Ash stopped and raised his head,

"Gary, I want you." Ash said shyly,

"You do have me Ash."

"No, I want you right now. I want you to take me." Gary's eyes widened,

"A-Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Gary sat back up and Ash went back to the original position of having his legs either side of Gary in a kneeling position. Gary snaked his hands around Ash's body and pulled down his underwear just enough to reveal his smooth rear. Gary quickly reached over to his bedside cupboards and opened a draw, pulling out a small tube. He popped the lid and squeezed a bit of the cool gel onto his index finger, he then proceeded to lather it around Ash's entrance, Ash winced at the sudden coolness that was invading him but he didn't refuse. Gary slowly entered his finger into Ash, who let out a small moan,

"Are you alright Ash?" Gary asked, concerned,

"Yes, I'm fine. Keep going." Gary could tell it was awkward for Ash but he admired that he was still trying. He then slowly added a second finger, Ash groaned again. It was a weird feeling, like pain and pleasure all mixed together in one big mass,

"Ash, you have to relax or it will hurt more, just relax."

It was easier said than done but Ash tried, he let all his muscles relax and suddenly it didn't hurt so much anymore. Gary then started to pull his fingers out then push them back in, trying to get Ash used to the sensation. After a few minutes Ash couldn't take it anymore,

"More, just give me more." Ash moaned, throwing his head back. Gary smiled and pulled his fingers out. He grabbed the small tube and squeezed some out onto his hand. He rubbed it all over his erection which made him hissed, it was so cold. When he was finally lathered up, he grabbed Ash's hips and slowly guided the boy down. Ash could feel Gary's head pressing against his entrance when suddenly it invaded his body. He gasped in pain and Gary hesitated,

"Ash, are you alright?"

"It-it's just, weird. Sorry."

"No, it's fine, we'll stop."

"No!" Ash yelled suddenly, "Just give me a minute."

"I think I might know what will make it easier."

Gary pulled down the front of Ash's underwear and began to pump Ash's erection. Ash moaned at the feeling, it was amazing.

"Now just focus on this."

Ash did as was told and focused on the feeling of Gary rubbing his cock, while he slowly sat down, inching Gary's cock further inside himself. Before he knew it Gary's cock was all the way in. Gary moaned loud at the warm and tight feeling. He just wanted to fuck Ash so hard but he knew he had to be careful with the younger boy,

"I'm going to fuck you now Ash." Gary stated, still rhythmically pumping Ash's member, Ash only nodded, his eyes tightly shut. Gary began to slow pull out and then push back in, only going slowly with small gaps at first. Once Ash began to bob up and down himself Gary new the boy was use to the sensation so he began to pull out further than slam his cock back in. Ash moaned loudly as Gary started to thrust harder and hard, at the same time, pumping him faster and faster. Ash thought to himself he wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer,

"G-Gary…you have…to stop…or I'll…I'll cu-AHH" he could barely contain his moans,

"I'm close too Ash, Uh." Gary moaned loudly as he continued to pump and thrust simultaneously. Gary thrust hard one more time, driving his cock as far inside Ash as possible, before he exploded in a sea of moans and screams of Ash's name. As Ash felt the sudden warm sensation of Gary's seed inside him, he couldn't contain himself anymore. He yelled out in pleasure as he reach orgasm, his seed exploding all over Gary's hand and chest. The two boys we're sweaty and exhausted, they barely had the energy to move. Ash pushed himself off Gary and collapsed beside him. Gary laid down beside him, looking lovingly at Ash's face whose eyes were closed,

"Ash, please look at me." Ash slowly opened his eyes to see Gary lying there, smiling at him,

"Thank you for that Ash. It was amazing."

"Was my pleasure." Ash chuckled. Gary inched down and kissed Ash's lips again,

"I love you, Ashy-boy."

"I love you too Gary."

_**THE END**  
(For real this time!) _


End file.
